Mussina vs. Byrd (Sat. 11th, 7:05 ET), *Cabrera/Nixon*

[Shelley935]

Mike Mussina 35
#1 Scout
Posts: 540
(8/8/07 2:54 pm)
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Mussina vs. Byrd (Sat. 11th, 7:05 ET) *Cabrera/Nixon*
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Mike Mussina will look to continue his winning streak as he faces off against the talented Cleveland Indians and Paul Byrd. The Indians aren't playing at their peak level lately as they have often been hurt by lack of offense. That aside, they have plenty of offensive weapons and have the ability to erupt at any time. The Indians still have a good record but this is a crucial game and series for that matter as they are in a division battle for first place as well as a Wild Card battle.

Mike has to be getting more confident as this season progresses. He is riding his best W streak of the season thus far and looking for another nice W. Mike needs to just keep doing what he has been lately. He needs to keep multiple runners off base and not let the longball beat him. The Indians can come at pitchers several ways, but if Mike can shut them down early, they may lose confidence and get frustrated and continue their semi-regular scroing drought. If Mike is backed with some nice R support then I look for him to be extra tough in this one. This will be Mussina's first start of the season against the Indians. As we know, his meetings in years past have been up and down. He has had some remarkable games against them as well as some real clunkers. It will be a challenge for sure, but again I think he is up to it.

Paul Byrd will be on the hill for Cleveland. Byrd has been a really nice surprise for the Indians this season and his numbers are very good for a pitcher like Byrd. Byrd relies on excellent control. In fact, in his first 16 starts he only had 6 BB total. That is remarkable. He has also allowed the same number of BB as HR allowed at 16. Byrd is all about control. If he is hitting his spots, he'll be a handful. If he is off, then it could turn ugly in a hurry. Byrd has been sharp of late as he has allowed 3 ER or less in five of his last six starts. It is not uncommon for him to last into the 7th or 8th inning if all is going well. In fact, his last start he managed a CG 4 H SHO against the Minnesota Twins while only registering one K. The Yankees won't be overpowered by any means and they will put the ball in play but it's just a matter of how good they make contact. For the season, Byrd is a very nice 10-4 4.13 ERA CG SHO 135 IP but a high 164 H along with a .295 BAA. At the time of this preview, he ranks in the top 10 in the American League in CG. This will be Byrd's first start of the season against the Yankees.

The key hitter for the Yankees will be Melky Cabrera. Cabrera hits Byrd very well as he goes .600 HR 5 RBI BB. Some Yankees do very well against Byrd while other good hitters have averages in the .100's so that is a concern to me. I hope Cabrera gets something big going.

The key out for Mussina will be Trot Nixon. Nixon has had a lot of matchups against the Moose but he has had a lot of success. He hits .274 3 HR 12 RBI 8 2B 9 BB. Those are some pretty impressive power numbers, including the uncharacteristic high number of BB's. Mike must also watch out for Jhonny Peralta and Casey Blake who also hit him quite well. The Indians are similar to the Yankees as some of them hit Moose very well while there are a couple good hitters who have averages below .200 or even below .100 in a few cases.

I'm really looking forward to this game, especially since I have the privilege to be there in person. Because I'll be there, I'm especially wanting a good outing and a nice quality W. The recap may be a little later than usual as I'll also be there for the Sunday afternoon game too. Don't worry though, there will be a recap whether it's on this site or the new one if I don't get to it until Monday. Let's hope the streak continues!

[Shelley935]

Shelley935
Administrator
Posts: 25812
(8/8/07 4:10 pm)
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Re: Mussina vs. Byrd (Sat. 11th, 7:05 ET) *Cabrera/Nixon*
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they have often been hurt by lack of offense
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This is a good sign for Mike and the Yankees!


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I'm really looking forward to this game, especially since I have the privilege to be there in person. Because I'll be there, I'm especially wanting a good outing and a nice quality W.
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I hope you bring Mike and the Yankees lots of luck, for both games!

This will be a big test for the Yankees as a team, not just Mike. Beating teams like the Blue Jays, Devil Rays, White Sox, and Royals is one thing. But if the Yankees expect to make it to the postseason and have any kind of success there, they need to win games (and series) like this one.

EDIT: don't worry about the timing of the recap...we know you'll do it for us when you can...and we appreciate your efforts!

[Shelley935]

moosefan68
Mad Doc
Posts: 4688
(8/11/07 11:13 pm)
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Re: Mussina vs. Byrd (Sat. 11th, 7:05 ET) *Cabrera/Nixon*
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Mike Mussina went 7 2/3 innings tonight, allowing 2 runs in 8 hits, while A-Rod went yard twice, as the New York Yankees won 11-2 over the Cleveland Indians at Jacobs Field.

Congratulations to Mike Mussina for earning his 100th win in pinstripes! He also earned his 247th career win, tying him with Jack Quinn for 46th in the all-time list. Moose pitched probably his best game this season, and he got ample offensive help from the team: A-Rod's two 2-run homers, Giambi's pinch-hit homer, Jose Molina and Jeter's 4 hits a piece, and Damon and Abreu's two RBIs apiece.

[Shelley935]

Knucklecurve35
Media Police
Posts: 21375
(8/12/07 2:58 pm)
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Re: Mussina vs. Byrd (Sat. 11th, 7:05 ET) *Cabrera/Nixon*
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The milestones just keep piling up. In addition to winning his 247th career game and 100th win as a Yankee, he can tack on another accomplishment:

www.nytimes.com/aponline/spor...ll&oref=slogin

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Mussina is only the ninth pitcher in major league history to win 100 for two teams -- he had 147 victories with Baltimore.
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During his post-game interview, he joked that he probably wouldn't be around for 200 games as a Yankee, so he was going to enjoy this one.

A-Rod is just not on the same planet as the rest of us. Giambi's HR looked like it would clear the roof of the stadium, while DJ and Molina piled on the hits.

I know Matt enjoyed seeing this one in person. He deserved to see a Moose gem and I'm glad he got one!

[Shelley935]

Shelley935
Administrator
Posts: 25838
(8/12/07 5:23 pm)
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Re: Mussina vs. Byrd (Sat. 11th, 7:05 ET) *Cabrera/Nixon*
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Closing this thread, so all comments about Mike's 247th career win, and 100th win as a Yankee, can be made HERE.